... a miscellaneous hodgepodge of various thoughts, loosely held together by the fact that they're all emanating from a single mind. A lighthearted look at the world, a great place to waste a moment or two of your life.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

DO try this at home!

I was grilling the kids (not literally!) on their multiplication (one was having some trouble). Alex, the youngest, was off in another room and popping out the answers that I was trying to get the next oldest to give. I was talking about how important it is to be able to do multiplication quickly because, in future math, the multiplication will be assumed as standard knowledge and - if not done quickly (as in "nearly instantaneously") - will significantly affect the amount of time it takes to complete each problem (and, in turn, the entire homework assignment).

Don't remember exactly how we got there, but Alex came in to answer some "tough problems." Lydia, the oldest, was trying to defend herself on a tough problem I'd just given by asking Alex, "Ok, what's 29 times 5?"

Two seconds later (maybe less) he answered, "145." (The boy is 10.)

Most of the table was stunned and amazed (there you go, Dean, using the word in perhaps less-than-amazing context...?); I was super-proud. Just thought I'd share.